Representing a group hierarchy structure in a relational database

A computer implemented method for managing a database, the computer implemented method comprising:

• responsive to receiving a request for a list of members for a given group of objects associated with the database, identifying a set of static members for the given group of objects with a single query to a membership table in the database, wherein the set of static members for the given group of objects includes all direct static members of the given group and all indirect static members of the given group, wherein an indirect static member is a member of a nested group, wherein all direct static members and indirect static members in the set of static members are identified with the single query to the database, wherein identifying the set of static members further comprises checking a direct/indirect field in the membership table to determine whether each member of the given group is a direct static member of the group or an indirect static member of the given group;
• identifying a set of dynamic members for the given group of objects based on a reference in a group table in the database, wherein the set of dynamic members includes all direct dynamic members of the given group and all indirect dynamic members of the given group, wherein an indirect dynamic member is a dynamic member of a nested group, and wherein identifying the set of dynamic members further comprises:
• responsive to identifying a set of dynamic nested groups in the given group of objects, executing a query object for each dynamic nested group against the database to identify a set of indirect dynamic members of the each dynamic nested group;
• and
• generating the list of members, wherein the list of members includes the set of static members and the set of dynamic members and wherein the list of members is used to manage the database.